It has taken me a couple of days to fully be able to accept the fact that Yao Ming’s career is over. I’ve always been one of his staunchest supporters, I would defend him, I would stand by his side when naysayers would attack him for being too weak, too skinny, too soft or ineffective. Now Yao’s basketball playing days are over and many people will consider him a bust. But is it fair to say he was a bust? The man was a good player and a good person. A great ambassador for the sport and the NBA. He pretty much single-handedly opened up the market for the NBA in China. Almost all the Houston Rockets have shoe deals in China. But the truth of the matter is that Yao wasn’t the game-changing-life-altering-7’6”monster that we believed he would be. Yao wasn’t a basketball god, he was a mortal. A international player that didn’t bang in the post so he was labeled soft. A quiet soft-spoken gentle giant so he was labeled weak. A player who never lead his team to the finals so he was labeled ineffective.

Is it fair to view Yao’s career by the things that he didn’t do? Or should we look at the things that he did achieve. The same can be said about Yao’s playing style. Everyone was so quick to look at the things that Yao couldn’t do that they rarely looked at the things that Yao could do.

Yao didn’t grow up in the ego-driven basketball society of the NBA. He was taught team basketball. A type of basketball that prized playing as a team over playing as a stats-driven star. Yao also didn’t take much time off from playing basketball. When his NBA season ended, he would play for the Chinese national team. Why? Because Yao didn’t forget where he was from. He felt like he owed his country. (In the NBA some players pass on playing for the US team in favor of recovering from a grueling season.) Of course Yao was injury prone. He was a 7’6” monster that never stopped playing basketball for 8 years (not including his pre-NBA career). His feet became injury prone because of how much he played the game and a person’s body can only take so much abuse. It was a matter of time before Yao’s body began to break down from all the ball he played. And he wasn’t in the media complaining about it.

Jeff Van Gundy proclaimed that he believes Yao should be a Hall of Famer. Why? Because of all the things that Yao did. Not because of the things he didn’t do. So when I remember Yao’s career I’m not going to focus on the the bad. I’m not going to look at Yao’s career average of 19 points and 9 rebounds and think, “He was just one point and one rebound away from being a 20-10 guy.” I’m going to remember that Yao put up those numbers through hard work and sweat, through being under the microscope he entire career, through constantly being taunted and criticized and through playing a for his national team in his time off. Why? Because Yao had priorities. He’d put others above himself. He’d carry the weight of his teams and take the heat and work hard to be a better player.

So, even though it’s hard to say goodbye to Yao Ming when his career didn’t end up the way we wanted I’m happy he’s thinking of himself for once. And when I look back at Yao’s career I’m going to look at all the things he did do, not the things he didn’t.

Sketch from the Darewolves! Written by Timmy Wood. With yours truly and Matt Lusk!

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“Hey. I tell you what is. Big city, hmm? Live. Work, huh? But. Is not city open? Only peoples. Peoples is peoples. No is buildings. Is tomatoes, huh? Is peoples, is dancing, is music, is potatoes! So, peoples is peoples. Okay?”

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Really that’s the answer in and of itself. I grew up wearing a #1 Warren Moon jersey. I went to the Astrodome at ever chance I got. I would ordered Sports Illustrated in the Fourth Grade so I could get the “Clutch City” documentary that tracked the Rockets championship season. (I also got “Clutch City 2″.) I’m embarrassed to admit it…but I even owned a Tony Bosselli jersey. Part of being a true Houston sports fan is despising Dallas.

Dallas is basically this annoying younger brother of Houston that get’s all the love and adoration of the nation. There is an ESPN Dallas, The Cowboys were America’s Team, Nolan Ryan distances himself from being an Astro and works with the Rangers, most people assume Dallas is the biggest city in Texas because of the old TV show “Dallas.” H-Town is perpetually in the sports shadow of Big D and it makes us sick. Yeah we’re bitter! Houston is the biggest metropolis in the state, the fourth biggest city in the nation and we’re cast in the shadow. It stings. It’s as if we’re Jan to Dallas’ Marsha. (If Jan actually could compete with Marsha.)

Watching the finals this year was rough on a Houston fan. Who to cheer for? The rivals you’ve hated all your life? Or the team made by LeBron James in it’s first season?

The South Beach Heat are the target of every traditional basketball fan. It’s the result of how powerful players are in the NBA. They are basketball’s villians. LeBron James makes himself tough to cheer for, I couldn’t root for the Heat. On the other hand, how could I cheer for Jason Terry or Dirk Nowitski? I’ve despised these guys for years. If I cheered for the Dallas Mavericks I’d have to relinquish my ketchup and mustard Hakeem Olajawon jersey.

I watched this series hating booth teams wondering how I would feel when one of them would eventually be crowned champs. As the series went on I was able to watch Dirk Nowitski’s offensive prowess without being on the receiving end of the attack. I was able to watch LeBron continually become the invisible man in the fourth quarter. I was also able to laugh at Dirk’s ability to play defense and be saddened by what’s left of Juwan Howard. And now the Mavericks are champs. My annoying neighbors to the north will have the spotlight on them again and I’ll hear about it incessantly.

This is what I have learned from this year’s finals:

• LeBron can’t win alone. But the Heat will be back. Stronger and hungrier.
• JJ Barea just reminded me of Aaron Brooks.
• I have a newfound respect for Dirk. I still hate him and probably always will.
• Dirk is not a top ten of all-time player because of atrocious defense. He’s a skilled offensive weapon. A big guy that shoots above his head with a nearly unblockable shot.
• Spolestra is a decent coach but will only last until LeBron speaks out against him, next season?
• I’ll never like Jason Terry.
• Dwayne Wade deserves more of LeBron.
• Brian Cardinal might be my favorite Mav. That dude didn’t let anyone have an easy shot. You need a guy like that, ready to foul, old school yo.
• Dallas may have a championship but unless they win again next year and have back-to-back, I don’t want to hear it.

The Job Interview by The Distinguished Gentlemen